This week is moving PAINFULLY slow.....Do you ever have those weeks where you wake up on Monday and think to yourself, "man am I glad its Friday." Then you realize its Monday morning. Something is wrong with this week because I wake up every day thinking its Thursday. I was also sick on Monday and Tuesday which didn't help matter, I caught the "airplane bug," on the flight home from Atlanta this weekend. I spent about eighteen hours wrapped up in blankets Monday. Tuesday I had to give a 20-25 minute presentation on GMOs(Genetically Modified Organisms) and was so hopped up on cold medicine that I babbled straight through til the end of class and the other members of my group had to finish up the presentation today. We had a fun activity for the class where we had them do a "Pepsi challenge" taste test of sorts with chocolate chip cookies. They had to determine which cookie was organic and which contained genetically modified ingredients. I think food always helps people pay attention more, if you bribe them with cookies they may listen to what you have to say.
I fulfilled one of my life-long dreams this weekend courtesy of the Georgia Aquarium. I have always wanted to see a whale shark ever since I saw one in a Field guide to fishes my parents bought me when I was little. Well, the humongous brand-new Georgia aquarium has TWO of them in a tank that is as big as some number of football fields(I love how we measure EVERYTHING big in reference to a football field). They are named Ralph and Norton and are absolutely beautiful!!! I can't even begin to explain this fish tank......I've never seen anything like it. In the "deep end" they have a huge 63' by 38' acrylic viewing window. The tank is so big that the whale sharks (about twenty feet long each) can completely disappear from view when they swim to the other side. Then you will see a large shadow coming toward you and all of a sudden they reappear being led by an entourage of small yellow fish that hang out by its mouth for protection. My camera went bonkers on me and wasn't working properly, but Rach managed to snap a few shots with her super-duper camera phone:
We finished up the weekend on Sunday by laying a blanket out on a rock and taking a nap on the banks of the Chatahoochee river, very relaxing.
Alright, two papers down today, one to go. I've been occupying some real-estate at my favorite coffee shop for three and a half hours now and am on a great caffeine-induced homework marathon. I have about two more weeks to go in this quarter of school and it has just become a bit hectic(waahhh). The end is in sight though!
Our trip to Oregon was great! Went to see the Pink Panther on Friday night(good if you like Steve Martin), then got into the car and headed to the coast on Saturday for some lunch at Mo's and a nice walk down the beach. Jake, Rachel's dog, had a great time hauling a stick out of the waves that was three times his length over and over and over again. We headed down the coast to Devil's Churn, a cool natural wonder. The ocean has pounded a four-hundred foot long inlet into the coast and now the waves crash and churn there until the water looks like cappucino foam. Then Rachel's parents teamed up that night to treat us to a great Salmon and Pesto feast. They make their own pesto and have a secret stash of it in their underground vault, it is powerful stuff! Sunday I just relaxed and tried to make some headway on my homework for the week(just finished reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, a WONDERFUL read).
We're off to Oregon in the first trip of hopefully three this month. Going to visit Rach's parents and go see the ocean. Next week I'm headed to Atlanta and the following week will be a secret mission, location not disclosed. Hope everybody has a grrrrrrreat weekend.
Has anyone ever been to Boring, Oregon? Is it a clever plan to keep tourists away? Luckily Rach's parents live in a fun place in Oregon......Go Beavs!!
